Don Early

Don Early – Actor, director, producer, co-founder and President of Dead Gentlemen Productions. Like many of the Dead Gents, he debuted in the 1999 college film effort, Demon Hunters as the relatively verbose Silent Jim (A character strongly influenced by Agent Smith from The Matrix). Following Demon Hunters, the Dead Gentlemen began production of its direct sequel, Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake, but Don wasn’t content to remain simply a one dimensional matrix rip-off, this time he jumped behind the camera as director and reprised his role as Silent Jim adding both depth and what would later be termed a ‘Fluid Character History’ to the character by dying and coming back, twice. For more details see DG Character: Silent Jim.

Further Dead Gentlemen efforts had Don active yet mostly behind the camera. Don produced both The Gamers and its wildly popular sequel The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. Don also wrote the Latin subtitles for The Gamers, (which Don received special thanks from the Vatican as they were able to also enjoy the film, on many levels). Don also produced and acted in various shorts and sketches.

Don was also a contributing developer for the Demon Hunters RPG, also reprising his role as Silent Jim in the included Brotherhood Orientation Video.

Personal Life

Although Chris Duppenthaler and Nathan Rice battled over the lovely Cindy Messler aka Angel (among other issues) on screen in Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake, it was Don who ended up marrying her in the real world. It’s always the quiet ones. They currently live in Bellingham, Washington.

Don grew up in Boise, Idaho and moved to the Tacoma, Washington area in 1996 when he began attending Pacific Lutheran University. He regarded himself as a very good student but admits he met his academic match in his future wife, Cindy, although Don maintains he was better in the Language classes.

Asking Don about his early days with DG, he stated,

“I was one of the original coffee house Dead Gents, before we ever made a film. The original group gamed together. I was actually introduced to D&D by Nathan Rice and Steve Wolbrecht. My first character was in Second Edition, a Specialty Priest of Kelemvor named Mortkemnon. And now you know never to trust a writer who will "borrow" ideas and claim them as their own. :) Well that's what writers do and I thank Matt Vancil for immortalizing the character's name and somewhat theme in The Gamers: Dorkness Rising….”

Don has worked on a Habitat for Humanity build in Ferndale, Washington is currently on the board of directors of Animals as Natural Therapy. Despite some of the irreverent tone in the original Demon Hunters, Don is still a Lutheran.

Filmography

Producer (5 titles)

2010 JourneyQuest (associate producer)

2008 The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (producer)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video) (producer)

2002 The Gamers (video short) (producer)

1999 Demon Hunters (video) (executive producer, producer)

Actor (7 Titles)

2008 The Gamers: Dorkness Rising Mort Agrippa / Mummy #1 / Goblin

2008 Demon Hunter RPG: Orientation Video Silent Jim

2005 Snow Day, Bloody Snow Day (short) Zombie Mormon 1

2005 Lust Vixens 2 (Online Short)

2005 Tub Time with Don (Online Short)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video) Silent Jim

1999 Demon Hunters (video) Silent Jim

Miscellaneous Crew (1 title)

2008 The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (production coordinator)

Director (1 title)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video)

Production Manager (1 title)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video) (production manager)

Editorial Department (1 title)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video) (assistant editor)

Casting Director (1 title)

2004 Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake (video)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director(1 title)

1999 Demon Hunters (video) (second unit director)

Make-Up Department (1 title)

1999 Demon Hunters (video) (makeup designer)

References

All Filmography information gained from public sources (IMDB, Dead Gentlemen Productions Website, etc.)

Quotes and personal information conducted via email interview.

Detailed references and sources will be edited and updated soon.